MG FF- PARINEETA THREAD 11 - Page 13

"chi... kitna bekar barter hain... cake mein sugar bhi chahiye hota hain...and you added excess cocoa powder...yuck...it tastes horrible.."

[chi...its such a horrible barter... cake also needs suger and you added excess cocoa powder..]

He smiled seeing her make faces. She snatched away the bowl and made necessary corrections, adding more condensed milk and sugar and butter. He just wanted to hold her close to his heart and keep her there forever and ever! He had missed her a lot!

She buttered the dish, poured the barter and kept it in the microwave, setting the temperature, still wondering at the fact as to why he needed to make cake during dinner time. She washed her hands and saw him doing the table. But she was in no mood to even eat anything. She went back to her kittu and found it still asleep. She caressed it softly, feeling so much at ease to see that little baby..a the storm within her probably ended the moment she held him in her arms... she wasn't angry or scared of anything. Maan just kept on looking at her, observing every little change in her. its just a few hours since kittu came home and here she was already healing. For him, kittu was like a light in the darkness. He knew what he had to do now. But the surge of emotions that flooded his heart was just too much. he wished there was someone who could listen to him, just then his phone rang. God is probably being very kind to him today. It was dadima. He looked at geet who now held her kittu in her arms and caressed it. he went to the lawn and received the call.

"hello...maan?"

He heard her voice after so many days. His eyes filled up while his voice trembled. "da...dadima..."

Dadima had missed them so much but she was shocked to hear maan's trembling voice. She was scared of her children getting hurt. Was geet okay?

"maan...whats wrong beta... are you okay? Is geet fine?"

He smiled through his tears, feeling so calm after hearing her voice.

"umm..we are okay dadima..."

Dadima wondered if he was okay. It seemed as if he might breakdown right at hat moment, "maan...are you hiding something? Tell us every little thing..."

He couldn't hide himself from dadima, "she loved me dadima...", he whispered!

Dadima was surprised hearing that...because thats what everyone knew right! but she remained silent, giving him a cue to speak up further, which he eventually did.

"she had loved me since the time she had come back home... throughout college...and even after that...and I never knew anything!!! Why dadima? Why didn't I know?"

He was so emotional. All this while he had kept himself firm and strong in front of geet but dadima's voice just seemed to stir his determination. On the other hand, dadima tried to think of the situation...did he come to know that he was the one whom geet had always loved? It must be it!! she didn't know what to tell him... but she wanted him to know every little thing about geet as well. It was irrelevant even to know what was the source of his knowledge...but what mattered the most was his realization.

"may be because you were not supposed to know...may be it was not the right time maan.."

He tried to understand her words but she spoke again, "hows geet? is she any better now?"

A smile crept on his lips thinking of that smile he had seen on her lips. He told her everything about her being angry after they left...their trip to Mumbai...her keeping aloof and then advent of kittu in her life. Dadima was so much at ease. But geet's inclination towards the kitten was enough to tell dadima her state of mind...she was seeing her baby in that kitten. Her eyes filled up... she had suppressed so much within her. she didn't want to tell maan anything t all because she wanted him to know geet all by himself.

"maan...just give her time and try to get to the bottom of her heart...because the heart of a woman is like deep sea...the more you dive in..the more you feel lost.."

He nodded silently when he heard the kids shouting in the back asking dadima to give them the phone. Maan smiled...he wanted to hold his princesses close to his heart. He was missing them very very much. he spoke to them for a while when the kids wanted to speak to geet.

"okay...be on line..let me call geet..."

He walked inside and saw her still holding kittu close to her heart. He shook his head and whispered in her ears, "geet...bachon ka phone hain...tumhe baat karni hain?"

[geet...its the kids...you want to speak to them?]

Her eyes twinkled in joy hearing his words. She looked at him with wide eyes and then at her kittu. It was still under the effect of medicines. She carefully placed it in its basket and took the phone and started walking towards the lawn. She was hurrying up when she tripped and lost her balance. He was right beside her so it didn't even take him to hold her from falling.

"geet...sambhalke..."

She glared at him, "shhh...he is sleeping... tum usey jaga doge..."

[shhh he is sleeping..you will wake him up.]

He let her go and smiled to himself. He followed her and stood by the door while she walked in that cool grass, taking the call.

"hieee princess...", her voice clearly seemed happy to have spoken to them.

"mumma... we miss you...", they both screamed from the other side. Geet giggled hearing them like that. maan just kept watching the sudden changes in her...like she wasn't restraining anything. She was being so natural...and he just loved it.

"mumma...pata hain we went skating today and roops massi was so good..."

They spoke and spoke while he just kept on watching her and heard her speak about kittu as well.

"arrey tumhe pata hain...i got a kittu for you...", and she went on telling them how she found kittu today and how it was so cute. He could just stand all night and hear her speak like that... he missed her laughter..he had missed her speak..he had missed her smile. And the realization that she was always his was what made him get going. He left her alone and went inside. She joined him a little later and both had their dinner together...more of maan feeding her and she being busy with her kittu.

She felt that warmth in her sleep that she had always desired. She made herself comfortable and dozed off. It was around 5 am when he carried her sleepy form to the car. Of course before leaving he made sure her kittu was safe. He wanted to do something simple yet something special for her. he knew she never fancied costly gifts...extravagant dinner dates...all she wanted was just a little time.

He made her sit in the car and she didn't even bother to open her eyes and see where they were going. She had never had this peaceful sleep ever. She dozed off again. After a while she felt him carry her again but this time a cold wind made her curl more into him. it was cold and the wind was colder. He looked at her, trying to snuggled even closer to get away from the cold wind and smirked. He gently lowered her on her feet, letting the water touch them.

Her anklet in one leg chimed with the cold touch while was startled to feel something so cold under her feet. She snapped open her eyes only to see that vast sea right in front of her. she was awed by the sight in front of her. a slight red spread over the horizon giving way to the mighty sun and the waves washed over the shore, kissing her feet. It was a beautiful sight to behold.. she was so lost in it. she stood there for a while without even blinking her lashes. Her hands instinctively wrapped around herself feeling that chilled wind. She felt him hug her from the back, making her feel the warmth. She was too lost to even say anything. Her hands held his around her waist as both looked towards the horizon seeing the streaks of light from the sun, slowing rising above.

"its beautiful...", she whispered after a long time. The morning was so beautiful. He didn't reply, rather moved away a bit, held her hand and walked ahead slowly, battling with the waves that washed their feet. The wind played with her hair while she looked at the man who made this possible. He was walking ahead, holding her hand and she just followed. She kept on looking at him...while he just walked. She felt so many things all at once..wasn't this what she had always wished upon...to be by his side...be with him! she never realized she had lowered her barrier to him. she felt happy...after a very long time... a certain satisfaction that he was there...that was enough for her.

She felt his hand go loose and she stood still, amidst the waves. He went ahead, seeing some small boys play football in the sand in that morning sun. He joined them, trying to keep the ball safe. He was smiling...he looked so happy...she just stood there, watching him. she had shut herself so tight that she had even lost the hope that she'd ever feel anything like this ever again...but here she stood in the waters, lost in her thoughts for him.

She didn't even know for how long they walked like that in the waters and he never let go of her hand. They never spoke a word either. She came back to her senses when she realised she was in the car and they were heading back home. It was then it struck her that she had left her kittu behind. She panicked and held his arm that rested on the steering, "maan..kittu..? we left him alone..."

He rested his other hand over hers and smiled, "relax...kittu is fine. I have asked maria to come early. She will be there for him.."

She was still not convinced, "please hurry up na... I want to go to him..."

He sighed and within no time they were right in front of their farmhouse. She ran out, calling out to her kittu. She ran to her room where she had placed kittu, right beside her bed but panicked to see him missing.

"kittu..." she called out. She looked here and there but she couldn't find him. she checked behind the curtains and in the washroom... she even looked around the lawn. Maan saw her running around and held her firm, "geet...relax..what happened?"

"wo..maan...kittu... wo nahi mil raha..."

[wo..maan...am not getting kittu...]

"what? I asked maria to be around! Where had you seen it last?"

"I had placed his basket right beside my side of the bed..."

He held her hand and hurried to their bedroom, "check it properly geet...he is unwell..so he wouldn't have gone far..."

Geet checked all over again but couldn't find it. her hazels sparkled in tears, "kittu...where are you bacha? Kittu...", she almost cried.

It was then when they heard a faint "meow.."

Geet got alert and looked around...it was definitely from this room, "kittu...??"

"meow..."

She immediately kneelT down and looked under the bed! There sat her kittu, all curled up, calling for her, scared to come out. It was like her life had come back! Maan smiled, feeling relieved. She forwarded her hand and got him out and hugged him, "tune tho dara hi diya tha mujhe..."

[you scared the hell out of me..]

Maan just shook his head and went out, giving privacy to the lovey dovey duo. Maria cleaned the house and prepared their breakfast. Geet fed kittu some biscuits, mashed in milk and then had her food. Maria was there with geet the whole day. Maan just saw the three of them getting really well. Even Maria had gelled up well with geet, taking care of kittu. He was quite happy seeing geet open up so much. he left them alone and got to his study. He replied to some mails and took out her diary. It gave him goosebumps... if he felt so much vulnerable reading the last entry..he wondered how he will be able to handle the further entries. But then it was only the diary that can tell him why she went away from him. he turned the page over and checked the date...a few days later his engagement.

"...where did I go wrong? Am I at fault? Why has anisha di gone so far from me? Why does she not speak to me anymore? It hurts...it hurts so much... she at least has maan with her...and am glad that he is there! He will always keep her happy...i just know that! its okay if she doesn't speak to me..but why does she not?..."

The entry was just a small one... it had no poetic lines..she'd have been so upset, he guessed. But geet had mentioned anisha in her dairy for the first time..and that she wasn't speaking to her! he tried to recall if they had any fight around that time... but he couldn't find a reason as to why anisha would stop speaking...especially with geet when they were the closest to each other. He caressed his name written there...she trusted him so much! a smile crept on his lips..yet he could not ignore that pain reflected in her tone. he turned to the next page, curious to know what went wrong.

"...i have a promise to keep!!! Strangely, it doesn't hurt today... did I expect that? this is probably my best gift to anisha di for whatever she has done for me all these years. i was true to myself...and I was true to her today—I love maan! And this cant be helped!

Mere saath guzare un lamhon mein

Tumne bahut kuch paya hoga...

Bahut kuch khoya hoga...

Kisi ko thukaraya tho kisi ko apnaya hoga!

Kisi se ladayi tho kisi ko sataya hoga...

Kabhi khushi...tho kabhi dard hisse aaya hoga!

Kiye honge mann chahe kaam kayi...

Naye ehsason se galatiyon ko sehlaya hoga...

Shayad cheen li ho kismet ne tumhari pyaari cheez koi...

Par ek nayi anmol cheez se zarur milwaya hoga!

Tum chahe bilkul na badle ho...

Par tumhara koi na koi andaaz zarur badla hoga!

Le jaa rahi hun mein wo saare pal sametkar

Jispar tumne kabhi apna haq jataya hoga!

Jee bhar ke jee lo ye kuch lamhein...

Shayad kal mera chehra tumhari meethi yaadon mein samaya hoga!

(Originally by me)

...I don't know if I am going to see you again...speak to you again... hear you again... but you will be the one to stay in me forever! Just be happy wherever you are maan! I will miss you! I won't back out... I have a promise to keep!"

He was shocked to read those lines!!! He checked the date...again a shock! It was the day he got married to anisha!!! He went back a few pages to see if he had missed anything post engagement but there were no entries made between his engagement and marriage! He read it again...and again... she had a promise to keep...what promise? And she had been true to anisha... does that mean she told anisha she loved him? he was going mad...what promise? Who made her promise? And those lines...brought tears in his eyes! She must have felt so helpless...like there was nothing but to move away!!! The more he read..the more he got restless as to what kind of a promise she made!!! He closed the diary and closed his eyes...he cant even go and ask geet directly. He wanted to now everything now. Ohh this was insane! He gulped down a glass of water to calm himself...she just went away? Did anisha say something to her? she had mentioned that it was her best wedding gift to anisha... and then she wasn't on speaking terms with her as well. Could it be that anisha asked her something... he read the last line which were for him! did anisha ask her to go away?

He was totally dumbstruck with the realization! He flipped through the next pages wanting to know what could have happened next! He was reminded of the moment everything he'd ask for geet, anisha would change the topic. The way she reacted hearfing geet's name even after a year of their marriage... was something that made him believe on his suspicions. He had so many things to think about...but he wanted to know what happened to geet after that. he turned page after page...but to his utter shock, they were blank! There were hardly 4-5 entries made throughout those 5 years!!!

He kept the diary away and leaned back in the chair, trying to connect everything that he read! Geet said anisha wasn't speaking to her post engagement and on their wedding, she had been true to her about her love for him. if he thought from anisha's pov, she was so possessive of him...then how could she have borne with that kind of revelation? She'd have been definitely angry...hurt... defeated! That would be the basic human instinct! And hearing something like that on your wedding was the worst part of anyone's life!!!

Geet's lines, that were for him were written on the same night...could it be that anisha had asked her to stay away from him? tears made their way down his eyes...is there no end to this? Dadima's words echoed in his mind, "the heart of a woman is like a deep sea...the more you dive in...the more you feel lost..."

Did he decipher anything wrong? Anisha was an example of a basic human instinct to protect her love...but geet? how hard it could have been on her? she lost her love even before she found it!!! he felt a sudden pain grip his heart... as he was reminded of the opening lines of her dairy, "...no matter the miles...no matter the sacrifice..."

He heard her speak to Maria showing how her kittu walking cutely. Her voice just made him drown further into his pain... she still managed to withstand all that!! he slowly walked out and saw her playing with her kittu...she got so attached to it so quickly!! She indeed have no limits to her love!

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Next: more of diary

Prev: PART 82

Next: PART 84

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